Page 48 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book

ISS timetable
The original plan had been to have the Space Station operational by 1994, but that was vastly optimistic. Instead, planning took many years, and space assembly only began in 1988.
The ISS is 111 metres long, and if it were to be constructed on the Earth’s surface, it would weigh
453 tonnes. That makes the ISS heavier as well as bigger by far than anything previously sent into space. During the 6 years of assembly the ISS was a vast construction site 400 kilometres above the surface of the Earth.
Despite taking far longer to begin than had originally been anticipated, the construction of the ISS is still
one of the most ambitious international cooperation programs ever attempted, and 16 nations have been involved in providing expertise and equipment. By
far the largest part is still played by America, with an important secondary role by the Russian team.
 Working outside the ISS.
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